Management of Head and Spine Injuries

The brain is a soft and delicate organ. A hard blow to the head may injure the brain or the spinal cord even when there are no visible signs of trauma to the face or scalp. That’s why maximum head injuries are considered and should be assessed carefully by your doctor or in the nearest hospital emergency department.

We at Vimhans PrimaMed Institute of Emergency & Trauma Services provide 24*7 comprehensive care for head and spinal injuries.

Types of Head Injury

• Open Head Injury: with bleeding wounds to the face or head• Closed Head Injury: with no visible signs of injury to the face or head

Symptoms of head injury

We cannot judge the seriousness of a head injury on the basis of blood. Away from wounds, other signs and symptoms of head injury may include:

• Skull deformities- deformities and compression are the signs of fractures• Altered consciousness- A person may lose consciousness for short or longer periods. They may have a brief seizure. • Fluid from the ears or nose- a skull fracture can allow cerebrospinal fluid to leak from the nose or ears.• Vision changes- the pupils of the eyes may be enlarged and be different sizes in an individuals with serious head injury.• Nausea and vomiting- nausea and vomiting are common side effects of serious head injury and should be considered important if they persist.

Spinal Injuries

An individual with a sustained head injury may also have injured his spine. In older adults, the force required to cause neck injuries is lesser than in your people.

It’s important to keep the injured person’s head in line with his neck. Twisting of his head or allowing his head to roll to the side must be avoided.

Some common symptoms of spinal injuries are:

• Skin feeling clammy and cool• Body lying in an awkward position• Inability to move limbs• Unusual tingling sensations in the limbs or an absence of any sensation